Discipleship Essentials*
Monday, November 1, 2004
My Prayer Today
Heavenly Father, Thank you so much for the gift of Your written word, which contains the very words of Jesus! I thank You that His teaching prunes us and makes us more like Him. Fill me anew with Your Holy Spirit right now that I may live with boldness and confidence as a witness of Your good news, with my family, friends, and everyone I meet. Use me today in whatever way will glorify You and bring You the honor that You deserve. This I pray in Jesus’ name and for the sake of His coming Kingdom! Amen.
God’s Word Today
John 15:1-11
“1“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2He cuts off every branch that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. 3You have already been pruned for greater fruitfulness by the message I have given you. 4Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful apart from me.
5“Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. 6Anyone who parts from me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. 7But if you stay joined to me and my words remain in you, you may ask any request you like, and it will be granted! 8My true disciples produce much fruit. This brings great glory to my Father.
9“I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. 10When you obey me, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father and remain in his love. 11I have told you this so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!
Background on the Text – Who Wrote It? Why Was It Written? Who Was the Audience?
John’s Gospel was most likely written to provide the Christian message in a form that would appeal to Greek thinkers. John’s Gospel starts quite differently than any of the others. In it he equates Jesus with the Divine reason behind the universe. This Divine reason was known as the “logos.” (From it we get the word “logic.” In our English translations we translate it “word.” John also wanted to supplement the materials of the synoptic (seen together) gospels: Matthew, Mark and Luke, whose message is quite similar to one another. John’s Gospel is quite different than the first three, and includes the “I Am” passages, which equate Jesus with God. John tells us in closing his gospel that he wrote with a clear purpose: “…that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name.” (John 20:31)
Observation – What Does the Text Say?
(Specifically look at the bold verses, if any, to answer these questions.)
Interpretation – What Does the Text Mean?
Application – How Can I Respond to the Text’s Insights and Teachings?
Each Week’s Check List
After reading and studying this text, reflect on the following discipleship growth points:
Growth Point |
How |
Encouraged and strengthened me by |
|
Fallen short areas |
|
What will I do with these insights? |
|
What did God say to me today? |
|
Share insights and growth points |
|
Changed/transformed how? |
|
Thoughts...Jesus' "Pruning" Message...
Jesus told His followers that they had already been “pruned” by His message. This reminds us of how important it is to be in God’s word each day. The Bible doesn’t only prune us, but it also provides an abundance of promises and instructions for daily living. As we set aside time each day as our “quiet time,” we want to be sure that we not only include prayer time, but also time to study and reflect on God’s word. After all, if Jesus’ word prunes, instructs and offers us promises, then we certainly don’t want to miss out on reading and studying it each day! The more time we invest in reading and studying God’s word, the more effectively Jesus will be able to prune the sin from our lives, guide us to live in His power, and make us aware of His promises to us. As we read—and before we read, we’ll want to take the time to turn our lives over to God in prayer, and ask Him to give us the Holy Spirit to guide us and our study. After all, the Holy Spirit is our primary instructor when it comes to reading and UNDERSTANDING God’s word. Thank God that Jesus loves us enough to prune us, and to move us along the path He has paved for our lives. May we give Him the time each day to work in us, and may we also share what we learn with others, so they may come to know and follow Him, too!